Midnight Burning Blue
by Special Agent FUNK
Summary: I spend my last flare up on you, until these dreams of ours come true. Midnight burning blue.... Unfolding romance between Ashley and the Merchant.
1. Prologue

_A/N: This is odd, I wanted to write a merchant crackfic, but then... I felt the need to write something NICE. Yes, Triple T writing something nice. Call the damn newspapers.  
__Ashley/Merchant  
Romance. No humor. At least not intended._

**Dedicated to: **_Slouchingtyger_for making me turn 180 degrees and like Ashley. Omg. I still don't like her ears though. I hope you can live with Ashley and Mr. Merchant!  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Resident Evil 4 or any of its characters. They belong to Capcom. This ain't payin' the bills either. I wish. Pft.  
**More info: **Two-shot. Because it's too much to put in one chapter. I don't like chapters that have over 3000 words, I have a small attention-span  
**Title credit:** 'Midnight Burning Blue' comes from a song by Antichrisis called 'Like The Stars'. I thought it was fitting...

* * *

Leon and Ashley had been running around for what seemed like hours, being chased by people that no longer had a mind of their own. Those damn ganados had been coming from everywhere, and Ashley only wanted one thing; Peace and quiet for haf an hour. Half an hour would be enough to regain some energy and last through the rest of the day.  
Leon had decided the best place for Ashley to be at that very moment would be on the lake. Or maybe he should say near the lake.  
Not that long ago, after killing that damn giant fish he had found out that that strange merchant lived near there. He actually had his own little shop, well hidden from anyone to see. Unless they knew what the blue flames were about, but Leon reckoned not many did. He had never seen the merchant talk to anyone but himself, so he trusted the strange man.  
Up to a certain point anyway.

When they found the door that was supposed to lead them to the lake they discovered it was locked. Leon remembered it had not been locked before, and he wondered why someone had closed it. Not really caring he decided to prove Hunnigan wrong and picked the lock.  
When the doors opened he found a rather large group of ganados standing behind it, staring at something.

"Wait here." He mumbled to the tiny blonde standing behind him. With caution he approached the group of ganados, that still had not realised he was there aswell. When he reached them he saw what they were staring at, which would've been a large pile of fish. Leon snickered softly, he remember shooting those fish and then realising he couldn't take them with him. He was happy to see at least someone, even if they were ganados, would be able to enjoy them.  
Or well, enjoy them... It wasn't until then that one of them spotted Leon.

"¡Un forastero!"  
"¿Dónde está?"  
"¡Por ahí!"

Leon sighed and cursed himself, he should have known better than to happily walk up to them and see what they were doing. Sighing he turned around and ran to a safe distance before throwing the group a few hand grenades. He wanted to laugh when one of the ganados actually caught one and got blown up in the process. But he knew better, these were once people too, and it was a sad thing they had to die, just because Saddler needed some weird minions.  
Soon enough the path was free of ganados.  
"Follow me."

Leon led Ashley to the place where that boat had been. He was surprised to see it there, even though he had left it at the other side of the lake. 'Someone must've crossed the lake a little while ago' he mused while enjoying his good luck. He was never a very lucky person, look at his situation, but sometimes 'they' were on his side. He didn't know who they were, but he silently thanked them anyway.  
In situations like that it never hurt to have a little faith in the unknown. He had experienced that many times already.

He got on the boat and helped Ashley on it too. It all happened in a calm and quiet way. Both were tired and fed up with the situation, and there wasn't much to talk about.  
Somehow every subject seemed inappropriate. Talking about friends and music while in the middle of nowhere, being threatened to some forces still unknown to them seemed strange. Talking about love and things related to that subject seemed awkward, especially to Leon. Talking about sports seemed stupid, because all they did was run around and fight. And talking about hobbies was slightly scary, because they were afraid they'd never get to practise their hobbies again... In this case especially Ashley was fearful.

Nearing the middle of the lake Ashley saw the blue flames appear in the distance. She had a weird feeling and turned to Leon to ask him what they were going to do.  
"I need to get rid of Mendez," Leon explained slowly "and I want to make sure you're safe when I'm at it."  
"You mean I would only get in your way." Ashley snapped.  
"No, that is not what I mean..." Leon sighed. "However, there is a possibility that you would."

Ashley remained quiet for a few seconds, wondering if Leon was angry with her. He seemed annoyed, he had been like this for a few hours now. She hoped he wasn't angry, it kind of hurt her feelings.

"So you save me, and not too much later you bring me somewhere and leave me behind again?!"  
"That's not what it is, Ashley."  
"Then what?"  
Leon steered the boat a little to the right and saw they almost reached their destination. "I'm leaving you here for a little while, because it's the safest place to be."  
"Riiiight."

They entered the cave and soon enough reached the shack where supposably the merchant lived. Or one of the merchants. Leon had seen him so often, he was wondering if there were more than one. He wouldn't be surprised, with that get-up it could've been anyone. Even a woman with a very disturbing voice.  
He felt Ashley move around behind him and freaked out a little. They were almost there, so there was no need to get comfortable right now. Leon had already been through enough trouble keeping the small boat stable with only him on it, being on it with two people seemed almost dangerous.

"Ashley, hold still." He mumbled.  
"I hate this boat." She complained. "I'm sick of this shit."  
"So am I, so the sooner we get there, the sooner I can get rid of Mendez and the sooner we can get away from this crappy village."  
"Hmmmm... My butt hurts."  
"You'll survive, now don't take a dive, I don't feel like fishing you up right now."

Ashley rolled her eyes, it's not like Leon was able to see it anyway. She decided to shut up for now and sit things out, because he did have a point. And she just couldn't wait to get away from here. She was craving for some normal food and a nice shower to wash away the stains of death and destruction.  
When they finally got off the boat Ashley stretched her body, trying to make the ache in her muscles go away. This obviously caught Leon's attention, who eyed her without any shame.  
It also caught the attention of the man standing behind the counter in the little shack. Of course nobody noticed that, because for some reason Leon and Ashley, and many others if I might add, thought the merchant didn't care about anything but guns.  
They were very wrong though. The merchant cared for many other things, he had many interests, but in this time of need doing business was good and the cash came in faster than he could count.

So he was expecting some more cash when the strangers walked in.

"Welcome!" He boomed, "What're ya buyin'?"  
"Hmm, nothing right now, there's something else..." Leon replied casually.  
"What're ya sellin'?"  
"I'm not selling anything either, I have a big favor to ask of you."

The merchant didn't expect this and needed a moment to decide whether or not to reply to that. And what he would have to say. In times like these he liked to stick to his most-used sentences, that only involved buying things, selling things and answering questions regarding his weapons and first-aid sprays.  
But this man, Leon, was his most loyal and best paying customer. He never complained about his prices and he never complained about his bad habit of following people around either. Also, he felt like he shouldn't be an ass whenever the girl was around, it seemed rude and the merchant didn't want to across as rude. Especially not to women.

"What is it?" He finally asked.  
Leon gave him a nervous smirk. "I need to do something important and dangerous, and I don't want her to come along with me, because well, it's dangerous," he said quickly.  
"Your point, strangah?"  
"I want her to stay here for an hour or two, so I can make sure she's safe when I'm out to do my things."  
"You want me to watch the lil' lady?" The merchant asked confused.

Ashley, never being referred to as 'little lady' smiled and blushed. She wasn't used to people saying such things, despite the fact she was the president's daughter.

"Yes, that is basically it." Leon said, still nervous.  
"That would mean I won't be able to take my business anywhere else, strangah."  
"I know, but... I'm willing to put down more than the asking price for any kind of weapon you want to sell me... It's only for an hour or two, I promise."  
The merchant chuckled. "We'll see about that, strangah. Two hours, if you're not back in two hours, I will leave to take my business somewhere else."  
Leon nodded. "Thank you so much..." He said gratefully.  
"Ehehehe, no problem, strangah, just don't screw up, I'm not here to save the day."

Leon left a few minutes later, after having his Punisher upgraded, and left Ashley behind with the strange man that was so full of his guns. He knew Ashley wouldn't like him for it, but he had to do what was best for her, and in his opinion he had done that. For now anyway.

* * *

Hm, that was part 1. Part 2 will be up in a few days.  
If you like, review. If you have constructive criticism, review. If you're pissed and feel the need to flame, click that little X in the top-right corner of you screen and go outside to punch a tree. Punching trees works when pissed off.

I hope ya liked it... :) Until next time.


	2. Hot

**Disclaimer**: I don't own this. Only the fic and the bad dialogues. Lolza.

**NOTE! **I started writing this. And I was writing, and writing... And writing some more... And started to love writing this OMG. SO!  
It is NOT a two-shot! There will be more chapters, probably around 5. I hope you'll like it. I'm happy with where this is going, I'm not used to romance anymore, but loving it now...  
**Dedicated to:** Slouchingtyger still. Thanks for re-igniting my love for romance-fics.

* * *

Ashley was sitting on the only chair in the Merchant's house, and the merchant was just standing behind his counter, feeling slight uncomfortable. He had offered her something to drink, but she had just waved him away, as if to say 'please leave me alone'. He wanted to have a conversation because that would probably make time pass by faster, but he had no idea of what to say.  
A bit bored he leaned over the counter, staring at something outside. There wasn't anything to see but he reckoned the little lady wouldn't like it if he would stare at her instead.  
He wondered why she and the young man were running around in the neighbourhood. This really wasn't a nice place for anyone, never mind a girl that looked like she had just finished high-school. He also wondered if the girl and the young man were in a relationship, though he doubted it. She didn't look like his type, even though the merchant had never really talked to the younger man so he couldn't know for sure.  
She wasn't that pretty either, he had to admit to himself. There was something strange about her ears, and the merchant liked ears. As long as they were tiny and had a nice shape anyway. No, he couldn't say she was physically attracting, and sometimes, when he had heard her scream she had plainly annoyed him. However, seeing her act like a normal person made it a little easier to have her around.

Just when he wanted to start reloading some weapons she spoke up.

"So, do you always look like that?" She asked bored.  
"Ehehehe, like what, strangah?"  
"Like eh... I don't even have a word for it."

The merchant almost felt offended. He didn't think he looked that weird, he just dressed this way to create some sort of a distance between him and his customers. Sure, he was hiding some things, but it's not like he was missing a nose or something. He just didn't want everyone to see what he really looked like because he was afraid some would bother them with question when he was taking a break or having a day off. Even merchants need days off.

"Are you like, really ugly?" Ashley asked him without shame.  
"That ain't up to me to judge, now is it strangah..."  
"Let me see... You must be boiling in there."  
"Ehehehe, better not to, strangah."

Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes, not caring about what that man would think about her. She was sure he was butt-ugly and was happy he wasn't showing his face. She couldn't stand looking at hideous men, and didn't care about sounding shallow one bit. Everyone was shallow anyway, she just wasn't afraid to admit it.  
It annoyed her though, that this man was such a big... Mystery. Many girls loved mystery-men because it gave them a lot to fantasize about. However Ashley didn't like them one bit, because she wanted to know who she was dealing with. So silently she cursed Leon for leaving her there, all alone, accompanied by a man that could've just been a woman with a screwed-up voice.

Okay, so she wasn't all alone. She just felt alone. That was even worse to her, being with someone and still feeling alone was awful.  
To be honest, she felt like that a lot. Especially when she was with Leon, that gorgeous, but almost stuck-up man. All he did was order her around. "Wait!", "Follow me!" or "Ashley, go hide!".  
Oh how she wished he would pay more attention to her. Sure, Luis had been rude, but at least he had noticed her. In a strange way, but he had noticed her anyway, and that was enough.

"So... Is your hair black?" Ashley asked the merchant, still trying to get something out of him.  
"No, strangah, it's not." He chuckled.  
"Brown?" She was very persistent if she had to be.  
"Hmmm... Pretty much." He chuckled again.  
"How old are you, anyway?"  
"Old enough to drink and young enough to still have children at an appropriate age."  
"You have a girlfriend then?" Ashley asked.  
"Not at the moment..."  
"But you did have one before?"

Ouch! The merchant was offended this time. He didn't understand why people were always so surprised he did have a lady every once in a while. He was a very nice man, not that romantic, but nice anyway. He knew what women wanted, and he was willing to satisfy their needs.  
He was... A little clumsy, yes, but also very generous. He was like a knight on a white horse. But without the armour, the sword and the horse.  
He didn't like horses, he preferred them on a plate, fried and ready to be eaten.

"Please show me your face." Ashley said almost pleading.  
"Why is that so important to ya..."  
"Because!"

The merchant sighed and stared at his watch. Leon had left about half an hour ago, so he should be back within the hour. One whole hour of pleading was too much for the man. He was already tired of the questions and felt the need to walk away.  
Too bad for him he couldn't, living on the damn lake like that. And a wet suit didn't seem very appealing at the moment.

So for once, just to shut her up, he took off the gigantic cloak and backpack and removed the scarf. He flashed the blonde woman a smirk and was pleased to see she wasn't hiding under the bed when he did it.

Ashley, expecting the worst, braced herself when he took off the cloak. She was surprised to see normal hair appear, lightbrown and a little messy as if the guy had just gotten out of bed. She was even more surprised to see his face which, apart from a scar on his jaw, looked pretty regular. The scar made him look dangerous, but not ugly.  
As a matter of fact, Ashley was slightly turned on by it.  
He didn't look very old to her, but a little older than Leon. Maybe around thirty-five. Definitely not above fourty. Then again, she wasn't sure, because there was something about him that told her he wasn't human. He looked like one of those ganados, but less aged. He could've been twenty for all she knew. Oh no, he had told her he was old enough to drink.

Standing at his full height he looked taller than Leon, but with less muscles. Slender but with nice arms. Yeah, Ashley wasn't disliking what she saw. Not at all.

"Happy now?" The merchant asked with his raspy voice.  
"Yeah, that's better..."

There was a moment of silence in which Ashley eyed the now attractive merchant and the merchant was staring outside again. Secretly Ashley was hoping Leon wouldn't return too soon, she wanted more time to stare at the strange man's butt and ask him some more questions.

"You're hot." Ashley finally exclaimed, immediately regretting it.  
The tall figure turned around. "You're a strange lil' lady, ya know that?"  
"So I've been told." Ashley replied with a blush that lit up her face.  
The man just chuckled, probably his trademark apart from the blue flames. Oh she loved that chuckle now.

In the distance she heard a boat approaching them. Ashley sighed when she realised it was probably Leon, and tried to ignore her disappointment. She wanted to know more, see more and maybe...  
_No..._ Ashley shook her head, _let's not go there._

A few minutes later Leon came through the door, looking very alive and very... Bloody.

"I need... Who the hell are you?!" He said when he saw the merchant.  
"Ehehe, welcome!" The merchant boomed.  
"Eh... Oh... Heh?"  
"What're ya buyin'?"  
"First-aid spray?" Leon half said, half asked.

The merchant sold him one and Leon healed up.

"Ehhhhh..." The special agent said. "You look..."  
"Hot?" The merchant couldn't resist asking.  
"Ehhhh... Come Ashley, let's go."

Ashley, not very willing but wanting to go home, followed Leon back to the boat. She sat down behind him again and looked around before they left. The merchant raised a hand and winked.

"Let's get you away from here Ashley, I'm sorry for making you stay with that..." Leon heard the voice in the back of his head _"Hot?" _"...weirdo."  
"It's okay..." Ashley mumbled. _It really was..._

* * *

**Oh heavens there will be more!  
Please review teehee... :D**


	3. The Castle

**Disclaimer:**Capcom owns RE4. My name is Ella, not Capcom, therefore I don't own RE4.  
**Still dedicated to **Slouchingtygerwho made something coolll with Photoshop... Love it aye, thanks :D

Trying something different in the way I write. If ya hate it, tell me. Don't flame though, I do fight back. With a plastic bottle, empty lighter and notebook. (I fight like a nerd. Or am a nerd.)

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Leon and Ashley had reached the castle and they had just made sure those ganados wouldn't be able to cross the bridge that led there. Leon looked a little tense and hoped this was a good thing to do. He wasn't sure about what kind of connections the Los Illuminados had to the castle and he obviously hoped they didn't have any at all.  
He stared at the 'building', admiring, but also fearing its greatness and magnificence. He wondered who were living between those stone walls and he hoped they weren't hostile. He had seen enough hostility in the village and didn't want Ashley to face any more great dangers. He felt like she had been through enough now and he desperately wanted to get her home.

Ashley on the other hand had noticed something different. Not the size of the castle, not Leon's worries and not even the splashes behind the bridge that indicated that the ganados were trying to cross the distance by jumping. No she had noticed something completely different, something that gave her goosebumps in a very good way.  
"Look, Leon... A blue flame." Ashley was staring at something in the nearby shack, slightly lost in thoughts.

Leon silently shook his head, wondering what had gotten into her ever since that time he had left her with the merchant. "Oh great, Mr. Crazy's around too huh..."

Ashley just sighed and tried to find out where the merchant was. A blue flame indicated his presence, and there was nothing else she wanted more right now. She wanted to stay with him and stare at his butt, rather than running after Leon, hoping nothing would kill her while she was trying to keep up with him. She realised he was in the shack but she couldn't see him, it was too dark. For a brief moment she worried, he could've been killed for all she knew. But then she saw a dark figure moved around and realised it was the merchant, just as she was hoping.  
"Soooo," Ashley stared at the blonde man near her, "will you be buyin' anything?" She tried to ignore the giggle forming in her throat but it came out anyway.

Leon stared back at her for a few seconds, wondering what to do. Did she like the merchant? Why? He had seen the man without his 'regular' outfit and he had looked very plain to Leon. And old, older than Leon was, and that was old. Too old for Ashley anyway.

"Well?" Ashley gave him a questioning look.

"I don't need anything..." Leon stated with an annoyed look on his face. "I don't understand Ashley, you never liked him. You thought he was scary and you were worried about him rooting for the enemy."

Ashley shrugged, her eyes never leaving the sight of the shack. "Maybe it's because I never saw him. I thought he wasn't showing himself because well, he was rooting for the enemy and wanted to stay incognito. But I saw his face and he looks..."

"Hot?"

Ashley giggled again and she felt her face start to burn. She hated how she blushed sometimes, it gave away feelings she didn't want anyone else to know about. Especially not when she wasn't used to the feelings yet, when she was still trying to find out what they meant for herself.  
"Yeah, pretty hot indeed."

Leon saw the blush creeping up from her neck and shook his head again, showing his own feelings which had more to do with being confused than being okay with the whole Ashley loves the Merchant thing. "Ashley, you can't fall for him..."

"Why not?" Ashley gave Leon a mean look.

"Because."

Ashley rolled her eyes at the agent and started to walk towards the shack. On her way there she randomly kicked a barrel and grabbed the cash that came out of it. She didn't understand the concept of cash being in barrels, but she didn't break her little head over it. She was in a foreign country where snakes hid in crates and ammo came out of enemies. She didn't care, as long as she was safe she'd put up with anything.  
Well, almost anything anyway.

"Welcome!" The merchant, all dressed up and nowhere to go again, sounded the same as always. Nothing in his voice indicated the fact that he and Ashley had shared a moment where he had dropped his guard and acted like a human being.

Ashley sighed and practically _felt_Leon approach aswell, probably holding a knife in one hand and a magnum in the other, just in case. She didn't want Leon to follow her right now. She felt safe in this strange place and wanted to chat with the merchant again. Maybe try to buy something from him, like an attaché case. Those cases seemed very handy to her, she could use it to store the strange stones she found everywhere, like those spinels.

But Leon wasn't the type of man to let her have her way. He had to make sure she was safe, and that meant following her around. He felt like intruder when he saw Ashley eye the cloaked man in front of them, and wanted to kill that weirdo just to make himself feel better. But he didn't, for the sake of the young woman. "Ashley, let's check out the castle."

Ashley turned around to face Leon, feeling the merchant's eyes burn in her back. "Hmmm, it looks creepy."

"I know." Leon sighed. "But we need to get away from here."  
He was purposely and successfully ignoring the man that had sold him so many guns.

"Fine." The young woman turned around again and stared at the merchant before leaving the shack, walking upstairs already. "See ya." Had been the only thing she had said to him.

"Until next time, lil' lady." The merchant had chuckled and turned to Leon. "What're ya buying?"

"Eh..." Leon, not knowing how to act at that moment turned around again and followed Ashley, who had already reached the door leading to the castle.

Both Leon and Ashley entered through the door and looked around. The first thing they noticed was the rifle-ammo on a crate, almost waiting to be picked up by any random gunman that walked by.

"Who leaves ammo everywhere?" Ashley raised an eyebrow and wondered if it was the merchant. Then again, that didn't make sense. That man sometimes charged ridiculous prices for random items, so she was pretty sure he was cheap dude. When it came to spending money, not when it came to receiving it.

"Good question." Leon led her to the stairs that appeared to lead to a higher lever of the castle. He always approached everything carefully but if it wasn't for Ashley's good ears he would've continued walking right into something that looked like a rock that was set on fire. Damn people in the castle had already noticed them, and apparently they were already out to kill them too.

When Leon saw two monks approach he tried to reason with them, but quickly gave up when they grabbed Ashley.

Ashley, screaming his name, was dropped on the floor when Leon shot the monk in the legs. She ran back to the safety the agent was supposed to provide her with and glared at him.  
"You don't try to reason with Spanish speaking monks!"

Leon just snickered and shrugged. "You're right, this place is dangerous... Maybe you should hide away somewhere until I find a way to get through those doors." Leon pointed at the doors, that were obviously shut tightly. "Go hide."

Ashley knew what this meant. This meant she had to hide away for like an hour, while Leon went out to kill everyone who obstructed his path. She clearly remembered how lonely she had felt hiding away in corners, closets and dark containers. She also remember how scared she had been, worrying about Leon's life and about never getting away from that smelly and boring place for the rest of her life.  
So she did what every logical girl would've done. She ran back to the door that had separated the merchant from the castle and went back through it. Hoping the man would still be there, she ran down the stairs again, her eyes looking, no longing, for the blue shine that would prove he was still there.  
And indeed, it was her lucky day. Well, in a strange way anyway. Nobody else would have called it a lucky day when being chased around by freaks, but Ashley still felt thankful.

She took a deep breath and entered the shack again, now knowing Leon would not follow her inside.  
"Guess who's back..."

* * *

HAH! I hardly used the word 'said'. It annoys me lmao. Ya know, he said, she said, we said, the bee said, the tree said, my knee said. Boo.  
Reviews would be nice strangahs. Until next time.  
I plan on updating this a lot, because I have a plot. I never have a plot, it just forms along with the stories.  
Blabla. See ya! :D


	4. More

Thanks for reviewing, I appreciate it. Big time =)

**Inspired by: **By what? I spend a LOT of time watching anime now, so maybe by anime. A little anyway. Strawberry Panic is simply brilliant.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own RE4 and am not making any profit from writing this. Capcom owns. In many ways.  
**Dedicated to: **I told you three times, you should know by now.  
**A/N:** I might, after this story ends, write an AshleyxLeon fic. Though I'm not sure, I enjoy this a lot too. Also, this will have more than 5 and less than 10 chapters. I think about 7.

**Enjoy please.**

_

* * *

_

_She took a deep breath and entered the shack again, now knowing Leon would not follow her inside.  
"Guess who's back..."_

The dark figure in the shack looked up, first confused but then amused. "So ya came back eh?"

Ashley, feeling her face start to burn again, made some incoherent noises. She never thought about the fact that the merchant might not like seeing her again. He could've been acting polite that time she was at his place just because he was taught good manners. For all she knew he could be waiting for the ganados to kidnap her again, just so he wouldn't have to see her anymore.

Suddenly the man's voice broke her thoughts. "What brings ya here, strangah?"

Ashley thought his voice sounded a little softer today, but maybe it was just her imagination. She also thought his eyes were shining, but that could be the light. She was thinking a lot of things, and all of them made little sense. Ashley shrugged it off.  
"Leon told me to go hide again..." She explained and sighed, "But hiding in the castle seemed like a bad move."

"So ya decided to keep me company again." The merchant stated. There wasn't the slightest hint of a question in his voice, because he could clearly see the effect he had on the young woman.

"I keep thinking about you!" Ashley yelled, or rather blurted out. Immediately she took a step back, as if the man would shoot her after hearing such a thing. That was the second time she had said something 'stupid' in front of him, and she cursed herself for it. She didn't dare to think about what could be going through his mind now, she was pretty sure it wasn't something good.

"You are a strange lil' lady." The merchant smirked, though invisible behind the purple scarf. Yeah, he liked it. He liked getting attention from women, even though he would never admit it. He wasn't a player or anything, he just wasn't used to it.  
No matter how good he looked, his damn scar scared everyone off. It made girls think he was bad-ass, while in fact that scar didn't come from any fight he had ever been in. It came from a stupid accident he was in a few years ago, glass in your face leaves a scar, it really was that simple.

Both Ashley's and the merchant's thoughts were interrupted when they heard someone approach. Ashley knew it couldn't be Leon yet, so her heart jumped in her throat.

"Get under that table, lil' lady." The merchant pointed at the table and saw Ashley practically dive under it. He stood in front of her and opened his cloak, hiding her from the view of whoever was approaching.

A blonde man entered the shack, he looked around and sighed. He was going though one of those bad days and he wasn't happy about anything. His hair was a mess and there was blood drying on his jaw. Those damn ganados had attacked him without a good reason and he had been spending hours taking them out with his knife.  
Oh, he had guns, that wasn't the point. He just liked to show off every once in a while. Even when nobody was watching.

Ashley, underneath the table, had heard the sigh. She also heard his voice when he said something to the merchant about his flash grenades. She recognised that voice from thousands and held her breath, terrified of him finding out that she was there. Not just because she was scared of being brought back to Saddler, but also because that man would probably kill the merchant if he found out that the merchant was helping her hide away from him.

"I don't sell those..." Ashley heard the merchant say. "I usually buy them when someone else wants to sell 'em, but at the moment I don't have any on me."

Krauser gave him an annoyed glare. "I don't believe you."

"Listen strangah, I'm always around, hoping to make some money. Now why would I tell you I don't have any flash grenades when I'd like nothing more than to make some cash right now?"

"You're here for Leon." Krauser appeared pissed off, which was because of his bad-hair day.

"I am here for myself, strangah. I got better things to do than follow someone around and help 'em out..." The merchant chuckled, "Sure, I sell him things, but if you're willing to pay more cash, I'd rather sell to you, strangah."

Krauser grunted and turned around. Before leaving the shack he glanced at the merchant one more time and shook his head. "I'll see you around."

"Until next time, strangah."

The merchant walked to the door of the shack and watched Krauser walk up to the castle. Once the man disappeared through the doors he walked back to the table and stared at the young woman sitting underneath it. He saw her sit there, wide-eyed and in deadly silence.  
Sighing he kneeled down in front of her. She didn't seem to notice it, she looked too lost in her own thoughts. The man noticed she was still holding her breath.

"You okay lil' lady?" He stared at her wide-open eyes and frightened expression. Apparantly she knew who that guy had been, and apparantly he had something to do with the trouble she was going through right now. He touched her cheek, wondering why she hadn't passed out from the lack of oxygen in her brain yet.  
"Breathe."

Ashley jerked her head back and it collided with the wooden wall behind her. With a painful expression she sighed deeply and stared at the man in front of her. "Did he leave?"

The merchant nodded. "He's at the castle now..." He chuckled, "he's in for a big surprise alright."

Ashley glanced behind him and was pleased to see Krauser had left. She had been scared of the man, because somehow he looked more dangerous than Saddler or Mendez. She didn't like men that looked dangerous, they made her feel uncomfortable. And when, on top of that, they kidnapped her, she'd rather see their asses on their way out.

"Are ya okay?"

The man in front of her had a new look in his eyes, one she had not seen before. Then again, it could be her imagination. She had a huge imagination, always seeing what she wanted to see, rather than the reality. It made a lot of things easier, especially in the past few days. Without her huge imagination and her ability to lose herself in one of her fantasies she wouldn't be able to keep herself from breaking down.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Ashley suddenly shivered, from the cold and from the tension in her already aching muscles. She was hoping Leon would get back soon. She felt safe with the older man around, and it made her happy to see that he cared, to a certain extent anyway, but every time she was running around with Leon, she was getting closer to home. And nothing seemed more interesting than going home right now. Home is where the heart is, right?  
Wrong. Ashley's heart was in her throat and she didn't quite like it. She also heard it pounding the back of her head, and that was even worse. It wasn't at home, and that was wrong. She hoped it would be home again soon though.  
Now only if that damn agent would return...

A shadow fell over her as a lightsource disappeared. When she looked up she saw the blue flame was gone. She shot the merchant a questioning look, wondering why he had put it out. And how, for that matter. She felt a little worried, thinking that would probably mean he was leaving right now.

"No need ta worry lady, this way people won't be interested in comin' in, or at least we'll notice them before they notice you."

Ashley smiled and silently thanked him. She never expected him to be so considerate. Being here wasn´t that bad at all, she just wished she had taken a coat with her that day she was kidnapped by Krauser. She cursed Krauser for being so dumb and not giving her anything warm. Saddler had ´great plans´ with her, so his minions should've treated her better.

The merchant saw her shake a little from the cold and took off his cloak. He neatly placed it around her shoulders.

"Ignore the ammo." He said from behind his scarf. "But don't steal it."

_Steal it? _Ashley wondered. _Steal it and hide it where? In my bra?_ She snickered. _Leon would probably love that._

"What's so funny lil' lady?" The merchant raised an eyebrow. He was wondering what was so amusing about stealing ammo. He couldn't think of any reason.

"Nothing." Ashley felt cosy and a little drunk, probably because she was awfully close to the man. She loved seeing his hair again, she had forgotten about its color and it made her happy. Any other day she would've been indifferent to small facts like that, but at the moment she didn't have the chance to be picky. All that mattered was here and now.

Leon at that moment was having a great time. He finally got to use his rifle for a good reason, and he was shooting heads off wherever he went. He happily found the cannon and was about to put it to good use!

Ashley looked up when she heard the blast and knew it was Leon. She also knew he would probably be picking her up soon, after having looked for her for a few minutes. He would probably get annoyed when he found out where she was hiding, and lecture her on not trusting a man she didn't know. Then she would argue with him and comment on the fact that she had not known Leon for much longer. Then they would hide out in the damn castle and she would probably end up getting caught by Saddler again.  
Ashley had a nose for the future and wouldn't be surprised to find out she was actually right about these things.

And yes, she was. When she heard someone approach again she hid under the table, but she just knew she had nothing to fear right now. Except for a pissy bodyguard maybe.

"Seems like the strangah is comin' back for ya." The merchant stood in the doorway, obstructing the path into the shack. "Should make ya happy."

Ashley shrugged underneath the fabric of the cloak and felt bad for having to give it back soon. Sure, having ammo poke in your ribs wasn't very nice, but she was warm and comfortable and enjoyed the scent of after-shave and soap. At least he was a clean man.

A second later Leon's voice was heard outside. He walked up to the merchant. "Seen Ashley?" He asked, eyeing the less-clothed man in the doorway.

"Indeed I have, strangah, she's inside."

Ashley stood up and walked to the door. She made an attempt to gently push the tall man aside and came face to face with Leon.  
"I'm here."

Leon nodded and glared at her. "You should've told me you were headed here."

"I'm sorry, but didn't you expect this?" Ashley was already starting to feel a small hint of anger. Which she enjoyed, because it was nicer to be angry than to be afraid. Leon wouldn't hurt her anyway.

Leon snorted. "Whatever, let's just go, I cleared the way and we should be fine now."

"You mean we should be fine _for_ now."

"Don't smart-mouth me Ashley, I work my ass off for you."

The merchant was watching them silently, wondering what Leon's problem was. So she came here, big deal. She had been safe, isn't that what he had wanted in the first place?

"Next time you're telling me where you're going." Leon stated. "Now come with me, it's time to get you home. Or a little closer anyway."

Ashley shrugged and took off the warm cloak. She handed it to its owner and glanced at him. She didn't want to go, at least not yet. She wanted to talk to the merchant a little more, find out who exactly he was, and why he was being so awfully nice to her.  
She felt the need to hug him for being so nice, but decided against it. She doubted he would appreciate it. He didn't seem very huggable.

"Come on." Leon turned around and walked back up to the castle.

Ashley, not really having a choice, looked at the merchant and smiled. "Thank you..." She said before following the agent.

"Come back anytime..."

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I hope ya liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. In that case we´re cool.  
Please review^^ Or come back when 5 is up.

See ya.


	5. Rescue

7 reviews on one chapter eh. Hm, odd. I thank thee all. A lot. So for you some action. And the merchant's name lol.

**Inspired by:** Separate Ways. I'm playing it again. Love it.  
**Dedicated to**: A tyger oh my.  
**Claimer!**I own everything except for Resident Evil 4 and its characters! Or this website. Or Wordpad. Ugh. I don't own shit.  
**Warnings:**Minor violence and a sliiiight change in story.

**Enjoy strangahs!**

* * *

Ashley was captured yet again, with her back pressed against the wall she just stood there, waiting for someone to get her away from there. She didn't care who it would be, as long as those damn restraints would be taken off. It was tiring standing up like that, not being able to move, but whenever she leaned on the restraints, it would hurt her chest.  
In the beginning she had protested, her screams carrying through the halls, hoping Leon would hear her. But now she was just standing there, silent and tired of screaming.  
Leon... Some agent he was. How hard could it be to save a young girl from an island infested with insane people controlled by a mastermind with a stupid accent? It couldn't be that hard considering that stupid merchant was able to survive on his own.  
Or well, on his own... That man carried enough weapons to start a small war, so maybe he was practically invincible around here.

Ashley stared at the doors leading to the hall and envisioned someone stepping in. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed to be released. It was a sad thing she didn't have any special powers, otherwise she would've been out of there in no time.

In the meanwhile Leon was running around just like he always did, searching for Ashley and killing everyone that crossed his path. While blowing some monk's head off with his Broken Butterfly he tried to hold back a grin. Sure, Ashley had disappeared again, but at least now he wouldn't have to worry about her and that damn merchant. It had bothered him, seeing her stare at his butt every single time they had passed that man. It also bothered him how she kept nagging about asking the merchant if he'd like to come with them. Leon wanted Ashley to feel safe with him, and not only when the merchant was around.

Quietly he searched some random rooms for ammo and herbs. He was running low on pretty much everything and he didn't feel like finding a blue flame and buy some supplies. He wanted to show the strange guy he would be perfectly able to take care of himself.

When Leon entered a random room he immediately found out he wasn't alone. Monks came in from everywhere, trying to decapitate him and shoot his head off. Leon gave a deep sigh and pulled out his hand gun, quickly reloading it before starting to shoot around. He was able to take them out, first only one, then three, then five and just when the room was cleared, a door opened on the other side of it.  
More monks came in, carrying spiked shields and crossbows. Leon shook his head and wondered why the hell he had walked in there. He reloaded his handgun again and noticed he only had enough ammo left to take out two, maybe three of the weirdo's.

His hand briefly touched his shotgun and he remember how he had to use every single shotgun shell about an hour ago. Then followed by all of his magnum bullets, all of TMP ammo and even all of his rifle ammo. And he hardly ever used the rifle. He should've known better than to use his most powerful guns first, but what is done can´t be undone, so he had to survive with the means he had now.  
After taking out two more insanely strong ex-human beings he was completely out of ammo. Leon grabbed his knife and tried to slash a monk's throat. He was able to do it, but it didn't hold the monk back and it grabbed Leon by the neck.

Gasping for air he started stabbing his attacker and was relieved when it let go of him, collapsing and floor and disappearing in a pile of strangely looking goo. Leon took a few deep breaths and tried to regain his composure, but they weren't waiting for him. Another monk closed in on him and grabbed Leon from behind. He never saw it coming, so panic rushed through his body as he automatically tried to push it away by pounding his elbow into the monk's ribs. It let go for a brief moment and Leon turned around, quickly kicking the thing in the head.

Soon more of Saddler's followers started to close in on the agent, and things were looking pretty grim for the man. He was about to give up because they were all coming at him, waving around weapons and making attempts to poke him.

Leon tried to make it to the door, but they were blocking his path. He stepped back when one pushed him with a shield and tripped over a random chair. While on the ground he felt two hands closing around his neck and two more around his foot.  
_I'm done for._ Leon moaned as he felt someone tugging his leg. He was tired, beat and ready to give up ._ I'm sorry Ashley_.  
Brightly colored balls started to dance in front of his eyes as a result of the lack of oxygen going to his brain. The cold hands around his neck kept squeezing and Leon was having a hard time staying awake. He wasn't afraid to die and he didn't have a problem with being killed, it just bothered him that he wasn't able to complete his mission. What would happen to Ashley now?

Leon's eyes flew open when a loud bang reached his ears. He felt the hands around his neck loosen and he gasped for air once again. Shaking a little he tried to sit up, but felt too weak to move any bodypart at all. More bangs, Leon now recognised them as gunshots, were heard in the room. They were hurting his ears and the sounds made it all the way to his brain. Groaning Leon slowly lifted his hands and pressed them against his ears. He had a strange feeling he knew who was behind this, and was slightly annoyed. His hopes of proving everyone he could take care of himself vanished completely as he heard the person behind the gun reload its weapon and walk his way.

"Close call, strangah."

Leon shook his head in attempt to make the dizziness go away. "Tell me about it. What the hell are you doing?"

"Makin' sure the lil' lady will get a ride home eventually." The merchant chuckled and threw Leon a first-aid spray. "This one's on the house, I'd say treasure it."

Leon used the spray and was relieved when he started to feel better. For a moment there he had thought he wouldn't see the end of this, but he was lucky that damn merchant had came by and saved his ass for now. He wasn't happy about the fact he had needed some help, but at least now he could continue his quest on getting Ashley away from here.

"Thanks." Leon mumbled quietly, his eyes focusing on something invisible. There was no way in hell he would be all over the other man, showing a lot gratitude for saving his life.

"No problem, strangah." Again that chuckle. "I'll be seeing ya around."

The merchant left the room and headed in a random direction. He knew all ways would eventually lead to the same hall, and he didn't really care about making it to his next post in time. He was running late already anyway.  
After walking around for a while he entered a random door and was pleased to see where he had ended up. There she was, back still pressed against the wall, looking tired and... Bored almost.  
The merchant smirked, though invisible, and headed for the restrained young woman. He could tell she wasn't aware of his presence yet, and he was kind of curious about what kind of reaction he'd see on her face when she would notice him.

Ashley looked up when she heard footsteps approaching. A rush of both fear and relief went through her body when she realised she wasn't alone in the room. When she made out who the person was she sighed, now just from relief. Maybe he wasn't here for her, probably not, but it was a lot better than seeing Salazar.  
Salazar, some freak that was. Ashley smirked as she thought about the moment right after she was captured and the tiny man had tried to talk to her. She had insulted him so badly that he had ran off, that weird black-cloaked guy following his every footstep.  
No, seeing the merchant was a lot better. Hell of a lot better.

"Hey there lil' lady, wotcha up to?" The merchant set down his backpack and walked up to Ashley. "See ya got into quite a lot o' trouble here."

"I know right, and Leon is taking for-e-ver and ever to come and save me." A look of annoyance appeared on Ashley's face. "I wonder what the hell is taking him so long."

The merchant, knowing nobody was around now anyway, removed his scarf. "He encountered some trouble on the way, but I bet he's gonna be here soon."

"Could you like... Get me out of this?" Ashley asked with a hopeful smile. "It hurts."

The merchant shrugged and walked a few feet away. He grabbed a rifle from his backpack and loaded it. With great precision he aimed and fired three shots, now proving Ashley that Leon's aim was nothing compared to the merchant's.

Upon being released from the restraints Ashley sank down on her knees and rubbed the painful bruises left behind. She tried to move around and little and was glad to notice everything was working just as fine as it was before, though a little more sore now. After a few seconds she looked up to the merchant who was still standing there with a rifle in his hand. "Nice shots, hehe..." Ashley smirked.

"The strangah should be here soon lil' lady..." The merchant stared at the young woman's face, "I don't think there's need to worry anymore."

"Where are you headed?" Ashley wanted to know because that way she could make sure she and Leon would pass him again. And she would be able to eye him again, just like always.

"To my next post, it's on the map." The merchant winked. "But I'll stick around until the strangah appears."

Ashley blushed. "So eh, could you tell me like, your age?" She wanted to know more about him, everything if possible.

"It's not interesting, is it strangah."

"Hmpf, you're so annoying sometimes!" Ashley grunted a little pissed off. "You wander around, looking tough and unaffected by anything, but I'm sure you're just as human as I am!"

"I am one of them, lil' lady..." The merchant laughed out loud for once. "Though Saddler has no control over me whatsoever."

"But..." Ashley was interrupted by the the sound of a door opening behind her. She turned around quickly and was happy to see Leon appear, and not some freak like Salazar or Krauser. "Leon!"

"Ashley!" The agent's face lit up as he saw her standing there, unharmed and apparantly safe. The only thing that annoyed him was the cloaked man near her, once again with his face exposed.

A brief moment of silence filled the room as Ashley hugged Leon, happy about his safety. Sure, she would love to chat with the merchant a little more, but after his stupid answer to her question he was kind of annoying her.

"Well, I'll be on my way then..." The merchant turned around and headed for a door. "See ya around, strangahs."

Ashley watched him walk away and sighed deeply. She wanted more. More answers and more time with him. She wanted him to make her blush again. She wanted more, more of everything. "At least tell me your name?"

The merchant chuckled his usual chuckle again. "Marcus lil' lady, the name is Marcus. But you may call me Mark." With those words he disappeared again like he always did, only leaving some used rifle ammo behind on the floor.

Leon stared at Ashley and saw a mix of emotions on her face. Silently he shook his head as he watched her watch the weirdo leave through the door. He pondered for a moment and finally decided he'd just have to live with Ashley's weird new obsession. Next time they saw the merchant Leon would just act like a normal human being and give her some time to talk to the man. Apparantly it made her happy, and that was a lot better than having her follow him around in the strange silent way she always did.

"Ashley..." Leon ignored the bad feeling he had in his stoumach when thinking about what was still to come. Or what could be still to come. "let's go."

* * *

I really hope you liked it^^ I'm quite pleased myself. Reviews are appreciated, but you know that by now, dontcha strangah? =)


	6. Pervy midget

Sorry I haven´t updated in a while. I had one-shotitus. I'm cured.

**Disclaimer:** No owny, okidoki?  
**Inspired by:** It's raining outside, I'm always inspired when it's raining. Which is why I always write, it's always raining in this country. -_-  
**Warnings:** Sexual harassment. Which is why the RATING CHANGED into M!!!!!

**Special thanks to every who has reviewed the last chapter. Thanks so much, I love it. Makes me feel like continueing.**

* * *

Ever since she had been kidnapped by Scarface Krauser Ashley had found out she had a hidden talent. Her hidden talent was that no matter what Leon did, she was very good at being captured. For some reason this had never been the kind of talent Ashley wanted to have, but she did consider herself rather special because of it. Because nobody else on this planet would be able to be captured twice with only a few hours inbetween.

She shrugged and stared at the boxes around her. They had put her into some kind of storage room, and she was so extremely bored she was about to open the boxes to see if they had accidently left a Nintendo DS in one of them.  
But just when she was about to open one to examine its contents the door had opened and revealed a tiny man. A tiny, tiny man. Ashley wondered if she would be able to take him on herself, she wouldn't be surprised.  
A few days ago as a matter of fact she had seen him walk around with his 'left hand' and he had looked confused. Maybe scared even.

She had smiled at that. She didn't find it hard to believe the tiny, tiny man was scared. He had told them he was actually younger than Ashley was right now, the only difference was the plaga that made him look older.  
That had made her wonder... Did that mean Saddler was a lot younger aswell? What about the merchant? He didn't look very old yet she knew he was one of 'them' too. Ashley frowned, she hoped she wasn't secretly in love with a fourteen-year-old. That seemed kind of sick to her.

But she didn't have much time to think about it because there the tiny man was, talking to her.

"Hehe, Ashley. Are you ready?" Salazar 'smiled' at Ashley, hoping to break the ice.

"Ready for what?" Ashley snapped. She wasn't afraid of Salazar, he was too tiny and way too young to be afraid of. She felt the need to crush him with her thumb.

"Ready to meet Lord Saddler, of course." The 'man' giggled. "Lord Saddler wants to see you... You need to understand that if you refuse to come with me, someone else will be willing to drag you along."

Ashley tilted her and frowned. "You mean your 'left hand'?" Ashley snickered. "You wouldn't be able to drag me along with both of you hands... Even one of my boobs wouldn't fit in both of them!"

Salazar stepped back and glared at the 'older' woman. He sighed and decided it would be best to stand up for himself, which technically he should've done years ago. Once and for all he would make it clear to her that there was no such thing as ´messing with a Salazar´.

"Grab her, make sure she doesn't move." He commanded the cloaked guy by his side. "Time to do something I've been wanting to do for quite a while."

The man in the cloak, Ashley couldn't make out his face, grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back. Ashley struggled to get lose but it was very hard to move for her right now. She gasped when Salazar walked up to her and touched her hip. Part of her wanted to snicker because he couldn't get much higher, but another part of her wanted to cry. She had a bad feeling about where this was going.

Salazar had a smirk on his face when he let his hands slide over the curve of her hip. She was nicely built, not fat but not too skinny either. He liked it. He liked it even more when she gasped, it turned him on.

"On her knees." He commanded the cloaked guy.

"No.." Ashley mumbled, terrifed. "Please don't, you can't... Saddler will kill you for that, I'm sure."

"Hehe, no he will not, he won't even know about this. And if he does he won't believe you..." Salazar chuckled. "Now don't move." His hand trailed up under Ashley's dirty shirt and he flicked a finger over a nipple that hardened under his icy touch. "Heh, see, you like it too..."

A tear slid down Ashley's cheek as she closed her eyes and tried to think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts about a man that would be allowed to do that anytime. _Anytime._

But this wasn't that man, this was someone else. Someone ugly and gross. Someone that needed a cloaked giant to keep her from ripping his head off and chopping it into tiny pieces. This puny man had everything going for him, but still he only wanted what he couldn't get without any help.

"Pervert." She grunted in a low voice. "You can do as you please, but soon someone will be around to kill you over and over again, and your tiny little body will end up in hell." Ashley drew a shaky breath. "And there your tiny little body will be raped so many times you won't be able to ever walk again without the feeling of a stick up your ass." Ashley snickered while the tiny hand kept groping her. "And someday, years from now, I will be talking to friends and we will laugh about this... Laugh because you're so extremely weak."

"Shut your piehole!" Salazar exclaimed. "Fine, I was only going to make a statement, but you asked for it!"

The 'man' left her bra for what it was and his hands wandered downwards. He commanded the cloaked guy to lay her down on the floor and the thing listened to Salazar like a loyal dog. Ashley tried to kick her way out his grasp but he was too strong and too tall, he easily held her down while Salazar made an attempt to remove her skirt.

A loud cracking noise filled the room as the door slammed open and revealed another cloaked guy. "Are ya sure ya want to do that, strangah?" Came a very low voice. "Cause it might cost ya dearly."

There he was, standing in the doorway, in his one hand the Chicago Typewriter and in his other a hand grenade. His scarf was hiding his facial expression but his eyes were pretty much flaming with anger.

Salazar stopped in his movements and got back up. The cloaked guy released Ashley and Ashley sat down in a corner, shaking and panting, terrified beyond words.

"Hm, what is it?" Salazar stared at the merchant, wondering who he was and what he wanted. "Heh, you're a ganado, aren't you? You can't harm me."

"Wanna bet, strangah?" After seeing Ashley crawl away in a corner he aimed the Typewriter and pulled the trigger.

With the speed of light Salazar's cloaked companion stood in front of Salazar and received all of the damage the Typewriter did. In the meanwhile Salazar made an attempt to escape, and because the merchant was now busy finishing off his 'left hand' he was actually able to leave the room and make a run for it, monks coming from everywhere to make sure he got away safely.

It only took the merchant about half a minute to get the job done, but by the time the weirdo in the cloak collapsed Salazar was already hiding away somewhere, probably not easy to be found.

So instead of chasing the midget around the merchant walked up to Ashley and sat down on his knees in front of her. Quietly he reached out to her grabbed her close to him. A little worried he held her shaking body against his own and he hoped, no he prayed, that Salazar had not gone too far. That would be the worst possible scenario right now.

"You okay now lil' lady?" The oh-so-familiar voice to Ashley came. "I wanted to get here earlier, but I got held up. Did he do anythin'?"

Ashleuy shrugged. "He didn't get beyond 'second base'."

"Hmpf, bad enough." The merchant sighed, not sure of what to say or do. Sure, he knew she was afraid and hurt, but he didn't know how to handle it. He wasn't the kind of person that got a lot of social interaction, he didn't mind being a loner. However it was times like this he kind of hated his personality.

"Can I do anything for ya, lil' lady?"

Ashley cracked a smile, he sounded so sweet and so soft, she wanted to have him around forever. "No, just... Don't let go?"

So they sat there, quietly. Ashley enjoyed her head against his chest and the merchant enjoyed the peace and quiet of the moment. Both weren't happy, but both thought it could've been much worse.

It's a sad thing to be honest... Had Salazar not shown up and harassed her then Ashley would have been happy right now. Then this would be considered one of the best days in her life, but that asshole...

Ashley grunted and hoped Leon would find the midget and crush him with all his might. She hoped she'd be able to get away from there soon, to lay in her own bed, clutching a stuffed animal and talking on the phone to someone random like a pizza-delivery boy.

Or the merchant, because Ashley was pretty damn sure she would not leave this island without his phonenumber. Not in a million years, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

This was sooooooo odd to write! I was blushing... And no, Triple T doesn't blush a lot! I thought I was incapable of doing that lmao.  
I hope you liked it. There will be 2 more chapters. _Please review and eh... Come back anytime._


	7. Revelations and perfection

Disclaimer: Don't own RE4. Capcom does.

**Thanks for reviewing.**

Two more chapters to go. Goodie. Ugh. I LIKE WRITING THIS!

**Enjoy please.**

* * *

Ashley and the merchant were sitting in the storage room for quite a while now and Leon still had not showed up yet. It was getting pretty dark and soon enough it was starting to get hard to make out the boxes scattered around. Ashley was currently wondering about what to say and the merchant was wondering about whether she was okay or not.

Ashley had been acting a little scared and even though the merchant knew she had a good reason for it, it still bothered him. Usually she seemed very fired up, so this was rather new to him.  
Nevertheless he was feeling comfortable with the tiny blonde in his arms. It was so much better than the cold feeling of metal against his chest. This was warm and alive.  
He was feeling warm and alive too, and despite the fact he knew he wasn't really human anymore, he did feel like one. He finally felt like one for the first time in quite a while.

Still in silence they watched the moon through the bars in front of the window. It was just hanging there, providing the only bit of light that entered the room. For some reason the merchant didn't feel like putting up his blue flame. He knew it could provide more light and warmth, but on the other side it could also attract the wrong people. Sure, the ganados didn't care for the blue flame, they hardly ever even noticed it, but there was one person that was attracted by it. And despite the fact Krauser was one of his loyal customers, he didn't want the man here. He would just end up in trouble for helping Ashley.

Ashley's voice cut through the silence and interrupted the merchant's thoughts. "So eh..." Ashley sighed deeply. "Oh I don't know."

"What is it lil' lady?" The merchant sounded cool and collected.

"Tell me about you... Please." Ashley was pleading. "I keep thinking about you and it bothers me I don't know who you are. Or why you're here. Or why you're so..." Ashley sighed again.

The merchant smiled quietly and wondered if he should give in to her request. He had shown her his face, he had told her his name and she knew he wasn't very old yet. He didn't see a reason to keep everything a secret, so he gave in.

"What do you want to know lil' lady?" He wanted to tell someting, but refused to reveal everything right away.

"Just random facts?" Ashley shivered and felt his grip tighten around her arms. "Just facts."

The merchant snickered. "Hmmm... Well." He thought for a moment. "My full name is Marcus Noah, I was born in England and I'm currently thirty-four years old... I sell weapons for a living but you already knew that." The merchant, or Marcus fell silent.

"Why did you become a merchant?" Ashley smiled at his full name, it seemed to suit him. "And why weapons?"

"Weapons are fascinating. Maybe not to you, but to me they are. They are only simple objects, but they cause great damage. Not just physical damage either..." He wondered whether to continue or not. "When I was sixteen I was a witness to an armed robbery, three people were shot, one of them was me." Marcus chuckled. "It didn't hurt and that surprised me. The pain didn't kick in until they took out the bullet..." He smiled at the memory, he had not been afraid at all, not even for a second. "A lil' later, when I recovered, I wanted to learn more about guns and what kind of damage each gun caused."

"You were shot?" Ashley was very confused, he didn't seem like the type of person that could get hurt.

"I wasn't always a ganado, lil' lady..." It was as if the man had read Ashley's mind.

"But... What did you mean with 'not just physical pain'?" Ashley was getting very interested right now.

"After I got shot I was very scared of going outside for a while. I knew many people carried weapons, and I didn't want it to happen again..." Marcus sighed. "Anyway, according to some lame book the only thing I had to do was face my fears, so I started to learn about guns and how to use them."

"And you started to sell them because...?" Ashley was seriously falling in love with the mystery man and his mysterious past.

"Umb... A certain company found out about my skills with weapons and decided to hire me. After they disappeared I wasn't sure of what to do, so I set up my own business." Marcus cursed himself for almost 'letting it slip'. "When I came here I found out about what was happening and got myself one of those lovely parasites. They gave me access to places and weapons I couldn't have gotten before."

"How come the parasite doesn't affect you?"

"I don't know. And I don't care either... Heh, never question things lil' lady, some things are better left unknown."

Ashley stared at the moon and suddenly felt very tired. He was hiding something from her and she knew it. But she decided not to question him anymore because, as he said, sometimes you're better off not knowing everything.

"You okay lil' lady?" Marcus asked after a few minutes of silence.

Ashley nodded against his chest. "I just wish Leon would hurry up."

"I'm sure the strangah will be here soon." He assured her. "Why, are ya sick of me?" He smiled.

"No! Of course not!"

Marcus chuckled his trademark chuckle again and was please to see her fired up again, even if it was just for a moment. "Good, 'cause I dun mind havin' ya around at all."

Ashley's face started to burn and she moved around in his arms for a second. "Heh." She replied. "Good for me."

Anothers silence filled the room and Ashley was very happy he couldn't see her right now. Oh how she wanted to... _Better not think of it..._

Suddenly gunshots could be heard in the distance and Ashley knew what that meant. Or what it could mean. That would be either Krauser coming to pick her up or it was Leon for the same reason. Obviously both of those men wouldn't pick her up for the same reason.

So she hoped it was Leon. Though she also hoped there were many ganados outside that needed to be taken out. She didn't want to leave _him_ again, not after he said _that_.

"So..." Ashley took a deep breath and started to talk before she could decide it would be stupid to say. "Listen, if you want to do something, but you don't know if it's the right thing to do... But you really, really, want to do it, would you do it?"

Marcus tilted an eyebrow, though not visible in the dark."I think I would?"

Ashley took that as a yes and moved around again, this time actually with a good reason. She got up half on her knees and stared at the glow in Marcus' eyes. Blushing, scared and preparing for the worst possible reaction she grabbed his scarf and pulled it down. Silently she moved her face closer to his and closed her eyes, half anticipating to be pushed away.

But he didn't push her away. The moment the door slammed open and Leon was heard yelling Ashley's name he closed in on her too and pressed his lips on hers.

Leon walked in and saw them in the dark corner of the room. After a few seconds he realised what they were up to and took a step back. Smirking and shaking his head he ran a hand through his blonde hair and shrugged. "... You just don't expect that."

Ashley pulled away from the merchant Marcus and wanted to turn around, but she couldn't. He wouldn't let her.

Marcus grabbed her close again and kissed Ashley so perfectly, she had to give into it. "Ignore him." He mumbled with his lips brushing against hers and his hand in her neck.

Ashley moaned quietly and wish it could last forever. But it couldn't... Not now.

After a minute both got up to face the special agent, who was still standing there, confused and quiet.

Merchant Marcus took a step towards him and opened his coat. "So, what're ya buyin'?"

* * *

Way to ruin the moment, Kennedy... Heh.  
It's 6:30 am in the morning now so I HAD to stop writing... Or else it would end up being insane and boring.  
I so hope you liked it... Please drop me a review :)

See ya next time people!  
TTT


	8. Midnight Burning Blue

**Disclaimer: **Do not own song 'Like the Stars'. Antichrisis does. Do not own RE4. Capcom does. Do own hyperactive brain.  
**Inspired by: **The song by Antichrisis, Like the stars.  
**Warnings: **Oh man, I'm turning into a sap. From Queen of Randomness to tiny sap. Bleh.

I´m sorry for taking so long...

**Please, enjoy.**

* * *

An eerie feeling washed over her as Ashley left the chair after having her plaga removed. She felt something in the air, something ominous. She also felt like it wouldn't be much longer until their adventure would come to an end. Somehow that made her feel relieved, but another part of her, a very confused part that is, felt sad about having to go home.

Home... Home is where the heart is. Ashley silently shook her head and realised that that expression didn't apply to her anymore. Sure, she wanted to go back to her father, but that would mean she would leave someone else behind. And she wasn't ready for that yet. She wasn't even sure whether she would ever be ready for that in the first place.

But she knew they couldn't stay there. It was dangerous, it was getting colder every hour and it was too far away from most of the things that made her life that much better. Sure she would be able to live without one of the important things in live right? She was still so young and maybe, no probably, the fact that she was in danger had a lot to do with her feelings for him. The fact that she had met him under the extreme circumstances she was in could've made him more fascinating than he really was.

Heh, had she met him during a day in the park he might not even have made her turn her head.

_Dream on Ashley..._ A voice in the back of head spoke. _You would've turned your head._ _He's sexy, appears caring and seems a little bad-ass. You know you like it..._

"I know..." Ashley replied to herself out loud, making Leon, who was walking in front of her, turn around.

"Know what?" He raised an eyebrow when he saw the sad expression on her face. "What's wrong Ash?"

"Nothing." Ashley sounded small and she hated it. She didn't want his pity, she didn't want to feel sorry for herself. She just wanted the spunk back she'd always had. But it seemed to have vanished for that moment.

"You know, we should be home soon..." Leon paused, he knew very well what was on her mind. Or rather -who-. "If I have to fight Saddler you might want to hide away... You know. Maybe near a blue flame?" A small smile played on his lips.

"Mmm yeah." Ashley nodded and stood still for a moment. "What if..."

"Let's not think ahead okay? Not right now. When we know we're save again we will think about the future." Leon stated firmly. There was no use in having serious conversations about what ifs at that moment. First Saddler had to die, and after that... Well, they'd just have to wait and see.

"Okay."

A few seconds later they reached a door that lead them outside. Leon saw a typewriter and, as always, Merchant Marcus standing around. The blue flame gave some objects an eerie glow in the light of the dawn. He went up to the man and made some final purchases before going off to kick some ass.

In the meanwhile Ashley was just standing there, eyeing them from a certain distance, wondering what to say or do. How to behave, how to act. Everything seemed so complicated at that moment. Even more complicated than when Salazar had done some inappropriate things to her.

_Salazar... _Ashley's face turned from sad to angry as she recalled his filthy hands groping her. Oh how she would've loved to kill him herself. With her hands tightly gripping around his neck she would've squeezed the life out of him, slowly but surely. But Leon had killed him already, so there wasn't much left to do. She was just happy he was dead in the first place.

"Ashley, I'm going up..." Leon pointed at an elevator. "Stay here okay? Don't get into any trouble when I'm up there."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "When did I ever get into trouble?"

Leon smirked. "True..." He turned around and stared at the merchant, or Marcus, for a few seconds. "Go say bye to him."

Ashley snickered. "Asshole." She simply stated before walking up to the merchant. To Ashley this was now or never, and she'd rather make it a 'now'.

Leon stood there in silence for a few seconds before realising how stupid his last comment had been. But he didn't have the time to think it over and apologise, so he left for the elevator. "Time to kick some ass."

Ashley had already made her way over to Marcus when Leon went up. She was just standing there, in front of him, looking and feeling very uncomfortable. The flickering of the blue flame used to calm her down, but at that moment it was irritating her. He was irritating her too, with his damn cloak and covered face. She wanted to rip it off him and take him home with her. It seemed like the most logical thing to do. But she knew she couldn't... She couldn't have everything, that had been made clear to her many times in the past few days.

"Lil' lady?" Marcus' voice snapped Ashley back to reality. "How are ya, been a while."

Ashey sighed, "I'm okay. Just tired." She looked at him and wondered what was going through his mind right now.

"C'mere." Marcus grabbed Ashley's hand and pulled her closer to him, fully aware of her confused feelings. Heh, as matter of fact, he was feeling a little confused himself aswell.

Ashley silently leaned against Marcus' chest while staring at the blue flame. The flame bothered her, it never went 'out'. Neither did she understand the blue colour or why Marcus' would carry that thing around. She wondered if, despite the fact it bothered her, she could have one too.

"Leon..." Ashley sighed. "He said we're going home soon."

Marcus chuckled his trademark chuckle, a sound Ashley wanted to treasure for the rest of her life. "I know lil' lady."

"So... What now?" Ashley wanted to know what he was thinking. That man never gave away anything, and whenever he did the information was so scarce it could almost be considered useless.

"What do you mean, what now?"

"You know!" Ashley stepped away from him and stared in his spooky eyes. "I want to know... I want to know what the hell everything meant!" She spat, "I don't deserve to be... I just. I don't get it."

Merchant Marcus quietly shook his head and wondered what she was getting so fired up about. He didn't see what he was doing wrong. Not at all. "Lil' lady, if you want clear answers you need to ask me clear questions."

"You..." Ashley felt her eyes burn with exhaustion and unshed tears. "You..."

"Yes."

"You're so cold..." Ashley finally mumbled. "You're so... cold."

Marcus sighed and cursed himself. He wasn't cold, he just wasn't that... Social? He wasn't used to dealing with feelings. Not with his own and most defenitely not with someone else's. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He didn't know what she wanted to hear.

"I thought..." Marcus' thoughts were interrupted by Ashley's voice. "I thought you. Well... God, I hate this!" Ashley rolled her eyes hoping that would prevent her from crying. "I just want more."

"More of what?"

A bang was heard from somewhere close and both looked up to see what was going on. Ashley knew it was Leon. Merchant Marcus knew it had been a rocket launcher.  
Only a few seconds later the earth started to shake and rocks nearby started crashing down. They heard a chopper close in and a minute later they heard the chopper leave again. Ashley knew what this meant. Saddler was dead.

"Listen lil' lady..." Marcus suddenly sounded in a hurry. "You know where my shop is, you've visited it before, remember?" He glanced around to see if Leon was coming back yet. "Visit me." He grabbed some of the stuff he had dropped on the floor and quietly placed a kiss on Ashley's forehead. "Visit me before returning home. This island is going to blow any second now, and I need to get away from here. I know the strangah will bring you to safety, so don't worry. My shop'll still be there, come over."

He looked up just in time to see Leon approach. "I will see you soon lil' lady, unless you don't want to." And with that he left quickly, carrying that insane backpack around like it was nothing at all.

Before running to that damn cave Ashley looked behind her one more time and saw that flame standing there, hardly giving off any light because the sun was rising. She smiled to herself and decided Leon would have to take her to that stupid shop before they left for home otherwise she would strangle him with a snake from a crate.

Feeling slightly nostalgic for no reason at all she hoped she would get to see that flame again, and the person that belonged near it. During nighttime too Ashley hoped, it looked much better after midnight. Like a tiny glimmer of hope. And that flame... Represented hope for her. Hope to see him again. Hope to get more answers. Hope to find love. Real love.

"Hang on sweetheart!" Leon yelled before taking off with the jet-ski.

"Until these dreams of ours come true..." Ashley sighed. "Midnight burning blue."

* * *

Okay. Yeah. So there´s one more to come, the epilogue. Please Review and if you would be kind enough to take the poll on my homepage? Thanks in advance...  
(And don't vote LeonxHis own hand... XD That was a joke. Perverts.

See ya.


	9. The End

Don't own. Inspired by 'Miss you', a song by Sweetbox. Youtube it, it's lovely. And by some insane avatar about memories. Geez.

**Enjoy the (not that grand) finale.**

* * *

"I have to, Leon..." Ashley pleaded, sounding desperate. She was hurting and this chapter of her live needed closure. But closure was something she would only get if she visited him right now. Yes, not next week, not next month, but right now.

Leon was sitting in front of her on the jetski, pondering about whether to give into her pleads or not. "But Ashley..."

"Please Leon, please." Ashley didn't care if she sounded desperate. In the past few days all of her pride had vanished down the drain, and she didn't feel like taking it back at that moment. "I'll never ask for anything again, I promise."

Leon smiled, but invisible because his back was turned against Ashley. He felt her small hands gripping around his waiste and he enjoyed it, it made him feel strong. Hell, he was strong...

"Leon..." Ashley's voice had lost the demanding tone Leon was growing accustomed to. She sounded tired now. Done.

It had been an hour since the island exploded. In the distance they could still see the mess the explosion had left behind, some smoke still floating in the air. Right before it had completely turned into a giant rubble, a chopper had landed. Leon had decided not to worry about it at the time and just enjoyed being freed from the insanity.

They were still on the ocean because Ashley had started to yell the moment she felt safe. She had yelled at Leon to stop right away, because there was some kind of unfinished business. And Leon had obeyed, because he knew what she wanted. And for some reason, he hated it.

"Ash, getting involved with him will very probably hurt you in the long run."

Ashley sighed. "I know..." She had been thinking for an hour now, trying to decide on several things that were wrecking her brain at the moment. Leon had just sat in front of her, waiting patiently. Every now and then he had answered a question she would ask him, and then he would just let her be again. Ashley had needed some time, and she had gotten it, but now she was ready for the final showdown. **Her** final showdown.

"Please..." It sounded so small, so insignificant, so pained, it struck Leon like a lightningbolt. So he turned around.

About two hours later, after heading back for Pueblo, killing some leftover ganados and getting lost for a while they found the lake and the boat. Leon was happy the boat was still there, because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to get them to their destination. But the boat was still there, so they sat down in it again, just like they had done before. Only now Leon wasn´t annoyed and Ashley wasn't nagging. They were just quiet.

"It looks a lot less threatening by daylight." Ashley commented out of the blue before they entered the merchant's cave.

Leon nodded. "Everything looks less threatening by daylight." He frowned. "Except for regenerators anyway."

Ashley smirked. "I don't ever want to see one of those again." She tried to scratch her back, making the boat shake dangerously. "Oh sorry."

"Hnnnn."

The cave looked the same. The shabby cabin looked the same. The blue flames were still burning brightly, giving everything that same eerie glow. He was there too, though now wearing regular clothes. Black jeans and a white t-shirt made him look a lot less scary.

"I'll wait here..." Leon helped Ashley out of the boat and sat down on the wooden boards next to it. "Take your time."

Ashley just nodded at him, grateful but so damn nervous she could hardly speak. It was time, and she was happy Leon didn't ask her any questions now.

"Lil' lady..." His voice was low and his orange eyes didn't glow this time. "I knew you'd come."

"Hmmm... " Ashley glanced around at Leon, feeling stronger because of his presence alone. "What do you want?"

Marcus stepped back, staring at the blond in front of him. One moment she had looked nervous and the next she seemed confident. It confused him. "You know what I want..."

Ashley entered the cabin and sat down on the only chair again, just like she had done way back when... Back when she was still a child. She waved Marcus away as he approached her and tried to pull her into his embrace. "No."

"No?"

"No!" Ashley sounded firmer than she had ever sounded. "I'm not having this." Her lip quivered but she was able to keep herself from crying.

"I'm sorry?" He was at the loss of words there.

"Okay..." Ashley took a deep breath and started talking. "Listen to me, and listen closely... I am fully aware of the fact that you're one of the reasons that I am still alive... And that without you, I would have been raped by the midget, but I have a strange feeling you don't know who you're talking to."

He just looked at her with a serious expression on his face and nodded.

"I am the president's daughter, and you know that..." Ashley's hands turned into little fists as she tried to remain calm. "And... And even though I really like you, I can't act on that. Imagine people finding out I found love out here, how would they react? They would think that I actually liked this place... They could even think that, for some reason, this whole kidnapping was a cover-up..." Ashley held back a sob. "And I don't want that, not for me, and not for my daddy."

He nodded again.

"I know that sounds farfetched, and perhaps it is... But you can never be too careful in my position." Ashley cursed her father for being an important person. "Also..." This was the hardest part. "Also, I think it's better if when I leave this place, there aren't too many things that remind me... Because this was hell, and I'd rather... get the hell out?" She shook her head, wondering if that had sounded a little too odd. "I don't know."

"I understand."

Ashley looked up. "I..."

"I really do..." Marcus shook his head. "It's okay."

"It's okay?" Ashley got up from the chair and felt a rush of anger. "You don't even care, do you?"

Too many emotions made her instable, Marcus realised. It was sad there wasn't a rewind button in real life. "I do care, lady... But what you said makes sense to me. Who am I to pursuade you to change your mind?"

"But..."

"That would be disrespectful... And considering the fact you only just arrived, I figure you've had some time to think this over."

Ashley nodded quietly. "I did. But it's not completely what I want."

He shook his head. "It's not always about what you want, lil' lady. More important is what you need."

Ashley shot him a questioning look.

"Well..." Marcus tried to think of a way to explain himself. "I think because of everything that was going on, you needed something steady. Someone that would be standing there, no matter what. Something... reliable?" He sighed. "That was me."

"I..." Ashley shrugged.

He continued. "Now you're going back to your daily routine, and you'll have many steady factors in your life from now on... The strangah being one of them, probably." He smirked, but it seemed a little bitter. "You don't need me anymore."

"I do so! But I can't..."

Marcus shook his head. "Okay, you **won't **need me anymore... Come on lady, think about it; You'll be so busy with your own life and trying to get it back on track, I would only get in the way." He glanced to the side and saw Leon standing near the door, hiding from Ashley's view. "A relationship wouldn't be healthy."

Ashley snorted. "True... I know and I made up my mind, but still, I'll probably be wondering 'what if' a lot anyway."

"As do we all, lady. But that's okay, it's one of the things that make us human... Dwelling in the past." He snickered. "We'll get over it." He raised an eyebrow. "I'm too old for you anyway."

Ashley smirked and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you really are old."

Marcus grabbed a TMP from a shelf and jokingly aimed it at Ashley. "Dear, you've crossed the line."

"Like a man of your age could actually hit a target..." Ashley started to giggle but soon enough her expression changed again. "Shit..." She muttered as the damn tears finally started to slide down her cheeks. "Shit."

"Shhh..." For the last time he pulled her against himself and rubbed her back. "It's okay."

"I'll miss you."

"Likewise, lil' lady..." He sighed. "Make sure the strangah doesn't get himself in to too much trouble, okay?"

Ashley giggled again. "I'll have to put him on a leash to make sure of that."

"Hahaha, priceless picture that would make."

"Hnnn... I should go." Ashley pulled away and took a long, last look at the merchant. "I still think you're hot."

He winked. "Ain't that bad yerself, lil' lady."

_Done._

Ashley left the cabin and walked back to Leon, who for some reason was sitting in the exact spot he sat down in the first place, showing no signs of eavesdropping whatsoever. She didn't need to know he had been there aswell, it would just upset her, even though he only did it because he was worried. "I'm ready Leon."

"That's great." Leon glanced inside the cabin. "One second, I need to thank him."

"Eh, okay?"

Leon walked inside and faced the man he had hated so much for a little while. But all hatred had vanished and it had been replaced with respect and gratitude. That merchant, he really was indestructable.

"Ello there, strangah! What're ya buyin'?"

Leon smirked. "Hey, let me tell you a secret... I still have that empty first-aid spray you gave to me back then."

Marcus smirked. "Treasure it, strangah... Put it in a list or something."

"Tsk." Leon grabbed the empty can that had saved his life. "Wanna buy it?"

Marcus laughed out loud. "Oh no strangah, I ain't buyin' it at a high price!"

Leon grunted. "Well, I suppose it was worth a try... Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks."

"Anytime, strangah..."

Leon shook his head. "Seriously, you've been a great help."

"As I said strangah, anytime. Now get the lil' lady home before I do so."

Leon nodded. "Will do..." He turned around and raised his hand as if to wave. "Bye merchant."

"Goodbye, Leon..."

Leon helped Ashley back in the boat and sat down behind her, wanting to go home. He was happy to be alive and pleasantly surprised that odd man actually did know his name. 'Guess I ain't no strangah to him anymore,' Leon thought to himself before steering the boat away from the cabin. He glanced at Ashley's hair and poked her shoulder with his index-finger. "You okay?"

"Well, no..." Ashley stated slowly.

"Wanna talk about it?" Leon asked. He felt like it was okay to talk now, they were safe and going home.

"Yes, I do want to talk..." Ashley replied. "I'm sitting on a fucking harpoon."

Leon laughed. "That's life baby... You get kidnapped, your comrades turn into mutants, there's people with tentacles in their heads and in the end you're sitting on a harpoon."

Ashley snickered. "Life sure is odd." Her stoumach twitched and her eyes started to burn with tears again. "I don't quite like it."

Leon ruffled her hair, completely forgetting about his 'no-affection' policy. "You will again someday... Patience is a virtue."

"I know."

"And until then you'll just have to talk, and cry, and nag and maybe sit on harpoons some more."

"Leon?" Ashley sounded a little amused.

Leon frowned, wondering what she wanted. "Yes?"

"You're such a dork..."

Leon laughed. "I know, I actually won a price for that once..."

"Dork."

"Wanna see it? It's a medal with glasses etched into it..."

"Medals are for dorks."

"It's silver, I was the second in line. There was one bigger dork... Haha..." Leon steered the boat and when they entered the shore again he realised they were on the wrong side of the lake. "Oops, wrong turn."

Ashley looked at him and slowly shook her head. "Getting lost... That's exactly what a dork would do."

"I'm very proud to be one, thank you miss Graham." Leon eventually got them back to the jetski and suddenly remember the chopper that appeared shortly after the explosion. "Hmmm, I wonder what was up with that?"

Ashley put her arms around Leon again, making sure she didn't fall off the jetski. "What?"

"Never mind... Let's just get home!"

And that they did... Scarred, broken, battered, bruised and tired, but both in one piece and both still awe-struck by some things they had seen, they went home. For a split second Ashey regretted not having a picture of the merchant, but she pushed that thought away quickly. Pictures would fade away, but the memories would last forever... And these memories she would hold dear and therefore never forget.

-xxx-

"Funny lil' lady..." Merchant Marcus was staring at a spinel, wondering who to sell it to. "Damnit." His thoughts were interrupted when someone entered his 'shop'. In walked a man wearing a black suit and sunglasses.

"Marcus Noah?" The man's face showed no emotion whatsoever.

Marcus nodded. "Indeed strangah, how can I help ya?"

"Hn..." The man took off his sunglasses, revealing eerie eyes that reminded Marcus of his own somehow. "You're one of them... But not posessed."

"What's it to you, strangah?" A strange feeling washed over Marcus and he grabbed the Chicago Typewriter from underneath the counter.

"You're coming with me."

**THE END!**

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... :D I'm pleased with this chapter. I ended with a cliffhanger, Leon is a dork and dear Lord, my back is KILLING me.

Guess what... There were will be sequel that will stand on its own, meaning there's no need to read MBB first. Like you care, you already read it anyway.

It will be Leon x Ashley, and I'll be damned, I actually have a plot made up already. It came to me an hour ago. Perhaps hints of Wesker X a mystery person.  
Not giving anything away, keep an eye out for it.

- TTT is celebrating - I have a plot for yooouuuu. LOL. Insane. (No, not an insane plot... Don't worry.)

**For the last time in this story, please strangah, please review.**


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